3 Good Reasons to Add Wall Molding to a Small Room
Wall molding, also called wall trim, wall panels, panel molding or, as one of my clients calls them, “wall boxes”, are an affordable way to transform a boring room. I’ve written about the value of adding architectural details before. And I still stand by everything I’ve said on the subject.
Wall panel molding is a great way to add interest to bedroom walls without overwhelming the space. I even used decorative wall panels in my office to draw attention away from the wall’s imperfections.
It’s week 4 of the One Room Challenge. An 8-week, self-imposed challenge to makeover any space of your choice in 8 weeks or less. If you’re just joining me, you can find all the details on the space I’m transforming below:
Week 1: Small Living Room Makeover: The Challenges // Week 2: Mood Board and Floor Plan // Week 3: Lighting Design Plan // Week 4: Wall moldings // Week 5: DiY Fireplace plans // Week 6: Ceiling Decoration // Week 7: Awkward Alcove Dilemma // Week 8: Small Living Room Makeover REVEAL
3 Good Reasons to Add Wall Molding to a Small Room Plus One Bonus Reason
As I mentioned during during Week 1 of this makeover challenge, the space I’m working with is located inside a home that was built in 1906. That’s 115 years of interesting— and sometimes really bad— design choices by previous owners. Installing wall molding panels in this living room is just one way I’m kicking this design plan into high gear.
NOTE: Here’s a good read on how to plan and install wall trim molding.
Contrary to popular belief, wall molding trim is not strictly reserved for traditional homes or “older” homeowners. For the record, this homeowner is in her late twenties. The trick to making the picture frame molding work for this young professional is to consider the trim type and layout on the walls. For a more modern look a simpler trim and layout are best. If you’re struggling with ways to style up your walls with trim, Pinterest is an excellent source for wall molding ideas. Here are my top 3 reasons (plus one) to add wall molding to a small room.
1. Adding Wall Trim is Incredibly Easy
Depending on the size of your space, installing wall molding can take less than half a day. For first-time DIY wall molding installers, I recommend selecting a trim where both sides of the wood trim have the same decorative pattern. Why? On the first try, it can be difficult to remember to cut the angles so that the decorative side remains on the inside of your wall box. A simpler trim means you just have to concern yourself with measuring the length properly and making at least 8 easy 45 degree angles per box on the wall.
2. Long Continuous Wall Boxes Pull the Eyes Upward
If you want to know how to make wall ceilings appear higher— affordably, I highly recommend adding a bit of trim to the walls. Wall molding panels elongate the wall making a space feel grander. I did this in my own bedroom (see below) and the effect was amazing.
3. 3D Wall Panels Give Dimension to a Plain White Box
This simple architectural element adds dimension to what would otherwise be a plain white box. These decorative 3D panels create depth, which in turns gives the perception of a larger space. If you’re wondering what all of this has to do with my One Room Challenge space look below where I’ve included an in-progress shot of the space I’m working on.
Notice how incredibly different it looks after adding a few strips of molding provided by Metrie. For a more modern feel I opted for the streamlined Fashion Forward Scene II 1 1/8" panel moulding strips.
4. Reduces Visual Clutter (Bonus Reason)
Regular followers of this blog know that I’m all about reducing clutter. That includes visual clutter. The best part about adding wall moulding is that it virtually eliminates the need for tons of artwork. The wall molding itself BECOMES art.
The photo below is my home office which I mentioned earlier. Believe it or not, this black wall is about 70 years old and severely damaged. A combination of black matte paint and wall molding give it a fresh look.
I’ve got a few more ideas up my sleeve for this space. The challenging part is to get them ALL executed before the deadline. Stay tuned, there’s more to come!
